Games › Deckbuilding › Deckbuilding + Demons
Should I ship a Demon Deckbuilding?
Deckbuilding + Demons
Of 39 developers who shipped a Demon Deckbuilding in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 98 more are announced, ×4.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.8 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $600; 1 in 20 cleared $110k, ×251 the market median. Revenue is up 625% on the market; 98 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $599 (exactly $599) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.3k (exactly $1,347) |
| Top 25% | $30k (exactly $30,130) |
| Top 5% | $119k (exactly $119,195) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 39 |
| Released games | 79 |
| Announced | 98 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $5.99 |
momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue up 625% on the market, supply 60% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Deckbuilding
- effort 3 / 10 · high · card pools and run logic
- Demons
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Deckbuilding; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Card Game, Roguelike
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich, Cute
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 92% positive over 10,168 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $600. 9 in 10 of the 17 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 98 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Deckbuilding with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + AutomationFair
- + Inventory ManagementFair
- + ArcadeFair
- + 2D FighterFair
- + Party GameFair
- + SwordplayFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + Traditional RoguelikeFair
- + LogicFair
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + Visual NovelPoor odds
Comparable games
Monster Train 2020 · $15M 
Monster Train 2 2025 · $6.5M 
Book of Demons 2018 · $6.0M 
Last Evil 2020 · $1.1M 
Heretic's Fork 2023 · $928k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Monster Train | older | $24.99 | 19,950 95% | 599k | $15M (exactly $14,956,515) | Shiny Shoe |
| | Monster Train 2 | $24.99 | 8,647 95% | 259k | $6.5M (exactly $6,482,656) | Shiny Shoe | |
| | Book of Demons | older | $24.99 | 8,010 91% | 240k | $6.0M (exactly $6,005,097) | Thing Trunk |
| | Last Evil | older | $9.99 | 3,559 94% | 107k | $1.1M (exactly $1,066,632) | Flametorch |
| | Heretic's Fork | older | $9.99 | 3,097 85% | 93k | $928k (exactly $928,171) | 9FingerGames |
 | Mahokenshi - The Samurai Deckbuilder | older | $24.99 | 464 77% | 14k | $348k (exactly $347,861) | Game Source Studio |
 | Pyrene | older | $14.99 | 676 92% | 20k | $304k (exactly $303,997) | Two Tiny Dice |
 | Erannorth Chronicles | older | $20.99 | 407 85% | 12k | $256k (exactly $256,288) | Spyridon Thalassinos |
 | Yokai Art: Night Parade of One Hundred Demons | older | $6.99 | 1,132 89% | 34k | $237k (exactly $237,380) | Secret Labo |
 | Tavern of Gods | older | $9.99 | 775 77% | 23k | $232k (exactly $232,268) | Element Studio |
 | Runeborn | $13.99 | 284 80% | 8.5k | $119k (exactly $119,195) | iDream Interactive | |
 | Yokai Art 2: Tales of the Nine-Tails | $9.99 | 314 75% | 9.4k | $94k (exactly $94,106) | Secret Labo | |
 | Malys | $14.99 | 172 79% | 5.2k | $77k (exactly $77,348) | Summerfall Studios | |
 | Karigurashi Ren'ai: Living on Borrowed Love | $29.99 | 76 92% | 2.3k | $68k (exactly $68,377) | ASa Project | |
 | Succubless | $11.99 | 146 67% | 4.4k | $53k (exactly $52,516) | Supa Doge | |
 | Eyes of Hellfire | · EA | $9.99 | 153 70% | 4.6k | $46k (exactly $45,854) | Gambrinous |
 | Dead Finger Dice | $4.99 | 230 78% | 6.9k | $34k (exactly $34,431) | Rocket Adrift Games | |
 | The Killing Stone | · EA | $12.99 | 79 94% | 2.4k | $31k (exactly $30,786) | Question |
 | Morningstar: Book of the Fallen | $14.99 | 67 94% | 2.0k | $30k (exactly $30,130) | Droid Productions |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.